A joint study by the University of Tsukuba and the University of Tsukuba found that hearing loss in the elderly is associated with restricted outing activities, psychological distress, and forgetfulness. As a result of analyzing the response data of the 2016 National Life Basic Survey, it became clear that the joint research team needs to proceed with the verification of the causal relationship.
The joint research team analyzed the responses from the 2016 National Life Basic Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, targeting 65 elderly people aged 13 and over (excluding those who are out of the hospital due to dementia) living at home.The average age of the subjects analyzed is 7,723 years.
According to the survey, 9.0 people, or 1% of the elderly surveyed, answered that they were "difficult to hear."There were 2,389% of outing activity restrictions, 28.9% of psychological distress, and 39.7% of forgetfulness. Those who did not answer "difficult to hear" had only 37.7% of outing activity restrictions, 9.5% of psychological distress, and 19.3% of forgetfulness, suggesting that deafness is closely related to these three.
Although the causal relationship between deafness and these three is not clear, the collaborative research team believes that deafness may affect various symptoms related to healthy life expectancy, and it is necessary to receive appropriate treatment at an early stage. There is.
It has been pointed out that deafness is increasing not only in Japan but also in the world, making it difficult to communicate with family and friends, and being a risk factor for dementia, affecting healthy life expectancy.The research results were published in the official English journal of the Japan Geriatrics Society.
